Bulldogs run out of gas in second half and Dons run away

Published 5:12 pm, Saturday, January 15, 2011

Photo: Richard Porter/Plainview Herald

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Photo: Richard Porter/Plainview Herald

Bulldogs run out of gas in second half and Dons run away

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Plainview Bulldog head coach Leon Hagerman began the season with a problem he really hadn't come across in his time at Plainview - he almost didn't have enough chairs on the bench to hold all his varsity players.

It was a problem he was glad to have, but currently the Bulldogs are suffering from Hagerman's old problem of a lack of depth.

It was a problem that caught up to the Dogs on Friday night as the Palo Duro Dons used their deep and athletic bench to pull away in the second half for a 75,49 win in the DogHouse.

After trailing by 10 at the half, the Dogs stormed out of the gate in the third quarter and pulled within two after a 10-2 run. But then the Dogs simply ran out of gas.

"In the first half, we came out real strong, battling it out." Plainview junior guard Josh Smiley said, "Then we got to the third quarter and PD brought their second group in, and they was running us and running knowing we got less people."

Palo Duro called Plainview's 10-2 run and raised the bet with a 29-5 of their own.

"They called timeout (after our run)," Hagerman said, "and then they double-clutch it and throw it down two gears and just wham! came at us."

PD ended the third up 55-36, and Plain view just didn't have the bodies to be able to keep up in the fourth as the Dons relentlessly flew around the floor.

The Bulldogs (9-13, 2-3 in District 3-4A) contracted the injury bug over the Christmas holidays and have lost four starters in the last month and a half.

Jaylon Jackson, the starting point guard and the team's second leading-scorer despite not having played four games, has been out with a torn groin muscle since the Byron Johnston Classic in late December. Jackson said he thinks it will be about two more weeks before he will be back in the line-up.

Jerrod Bailey has also been out since late December. Bailey has only played in seven games this year. He missed the first part of the year with a broken hand, and after recovering from that and working his way into the starting line-up at the Byron Johnston Classic, he promptly broke his foot in practice.

Daniel Miller and Kendrick Fennell were the two other starters on the bench Friday night. Miller and Fennell were both injured in the same collision on Tuesday against Hereford. Miller sustained a deep knee bruise and Fennell suffered a minor concussion. Hagerman said he was hopeful to have them back by next Friday when Plainview hosts Frenship.

"The thing about it is, by the time we start the second half (of district), I think I'll have at least three of them back, how much better will we be?" Hagerman said. "We'll be able to run at people hard, we'll have some subs with really good experience, and it will be a lot better situation in the second half."

Plainview plays Dumas on Tuesday, and Hagerman said he felt like his team would be able to compete with the Demons even with a depleted roster. A win in Dumas would move Plainview to 3-3 in district play and keep it in the thick of the playoff hunt.

"We aren't going to underestimate them," Smiley said. "We're just going to go out there and try to win by at least 30 or so."

Senior post Abelardo Nunez echoed Smiley's comments, saying that the team "expected to win and needed to win."

Thomas Curry and Avysh Hervey continued to lead the Bulldogs offensively with Jackson on the bench. Hervey led all scorers with 15 points and Curry added 13. The duo also combined for 11 rebounds.